FORMER England cricketer Freddie Flintoff has spoken candidly for the first time about his battle with his weight, revealing that he used to make himself sick after meals to shift the pounds.

The 34-year-old was seen as a lovable figure of fun during his cricket days, teased about his weight and drunken escapades. Yet this year he admitted that in 2006 he suffered depression so crippling he “didn’t want to get out of bed”.

And in From Lord’s To The Ring, a documentary following his gruelling transformation to heavyweight boxing professional, he says his strict new regime is a million miles from what quickly became a dangerous habit. “I started being sick, putting my fingers down my throat,” he reveals in the show, which begins on Sky on November 22. “Everyone in the team hierarchy thought it was great because I was losing weight.

“I was in India, I was in New Zealand, my weight was coming down. I was doing the training but I wasn’t eating. I was throwing up in cricket grounds around the world, restaurants, all sorts. I lost about 34lb.

“It’s not the right way to go, which I’m aware of. The only way to lose weight is train more, eat less and eat the right things.”

It’s not the right way to go, which I’m aware of

Freddie Flintoff

Speaking to the Daily Express after a screening of the film he added: “I have no qualms about talking about it – if anyone else is feeling that way and my talking about it helps then that’s great.”